The fossil-rich tar pits of Venezuela may rival those in Southern California

By Sid Perkins, 00:00 AM October 24, 2008

The menes of Venezuela have claimed many lives, evident in this 25,000-year-old fossil found near Inciarte and the more recent remains of a songbird found at Orocual (inset).

Rincón

Los Angeles' Rancho La Brea is one of the world's most famous fossil-bearing sites. Tar pits, or sticky pools of asphalt, there have yielded more than 1 million fossils representing 50 mammal species, 125 types of birds, and dozens of reptiles, insects and other invertebrates. But L.A.'s claim to fossil fame c...